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Israel and Sudan Close to Peace Deal, Officials Say

VOA News

   Israel and Sudan said Tuesday they are close to reaching a peace
   agreement, just days after Israel concluded a historic agreement with
   the United Arab Emirates.

   A Sudanese Foreign Ministry official said that the government is
   "looking forward to concluding a peace agreement with Israel," [1]the
   Associated Press reported.

   Sky News Arabia quoted Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Haidar
   Badawi Sadiq as saying Tuesday, "There is no reason to continue
   hostility between Sudan and Israel."

     ÙتاÙÙاÙÙ ÙرØب بتصرÙØات اÙسÙداÙ: Ù٠اÙÙÙØ·ÙØ©
     ستستÙÙد Ù٠اÙسÙا٠[2]https://t.co/Cm2iRIdBrK
     -- سÙا٠ÙÙÙز عربÙØ© (@skynewsarabia) [3]August 18, 2020

   "We do not deny there are communications" between the countries, he
   added.

   The spokesman echoed this in a phone call with [4]Reuters, telling the
   news agency Tuesday, "I cannot deny that there are contacts between
   Sudan and Israel."

   In response to the news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
   on Twitter he would "do everything necessary" to reach a deal.

     ×שר××, ס×××× ×××××ר ×××× ×ר××××× ××ס×× ×ש××× ×××××× ××× ×ת
     ×××× ×¢×ª×× ××× ××תר ××× ×¢×× ××××ר. × ×¢×©× ×× ×× ×רש ×××
     ××פ×× ×××× ×× ××צ×××ת ð®ð± [5]pic.twitter.com/FdKWSe6mhb
     -- Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) [6]August 18, 2020

   In February, Israel and Sudan agreed to move forward with talks on
   normalizing their relationship in a two-hour meeting between Netanyahu
   and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads Sudan's transitional sovereign
   council.

   Netanyahu's spokesperson to Arab media, Ofir Gendelman, called
   Al-Burhan's "decision '¦ to work toward advancing relations" with
   Israel "brave."

     Pursuant to his 3.2.20 meeting w/ Sovereignty Council of Sudan
     Chairman Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, PM Netanyahu welcomes the position
     of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, which reflects the brave decision
     of the Sovereignty Council Chairman to work toward advancing
     relations w/ Israel. [7]pic.twitter.com/NBT0Brb0O5
     -- Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) [8]August 18, 2020

   Last week, the UAE became just the third Arab country to establish
   formal diplomatic ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan. It's the
   first nation to do so in the past 26 years.

   "Israel, Sudan and the entire region will benefit from the peace
   agreement (with the UAE) and will be able to build a better future
   together for all people in the region," Netanyahu wrote Tuesday on
   Twitter.

     ×שר××, ס×××× ×××××ר ×××× ×ר××××× ××ס×× ×ש××× ×××××× ××× ×ת
     ×××× ×¢×ª×× ××× ××תר ××× ×¢×× ××××ר. × ×¢×©× ×× ×× ×רש ×××
     ××פ×× ×××× ×× ××צ×××ת ð®ð± [9]pic.twitter.com/FdKWSe6mhb
     -- Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) [10]August 18, 2020

   Though the UAE is a major player in the Middle East, Sudan may have a
   more contentious history with Israel. Arab states gathered in Sudan in
   1967 to issue what are known as the "three no's": no peace with Israel,
   no recognition of Israel and no negotiations with it.

   Israel's intelligence minister said Sunday that alongside Sudan,
   Bahrain and Oman could be the next countries to follow the UAE in
   formalizing their relationships with Israel.

   Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday said the U.S.-brokered
   deal with the UAE was a "huge mistake," the [11]AP reported. Israel,
   the UAE and other nations in the region consider Iran a common enemy.

   Leslie Bonilla contributed to this report.

References

   1. https://apnews.com/000fb9979afee42b456ab56c53870a0c
   2. https://t.co/Cm2iRIdBrK
   3. https://twitter.com/skynewsarabia/status/1295762052057792513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-emirates-sudan/sudan-confirms-contacts-with-israel-says-uae-move-is-brave-idUSKCN25E2BU
   5. https://t.co/FdKWSe6mhb
   6. https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1295745371273076736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   7. https://t.co/NBT0Brb0O5
   8. https://twitter.com/ofirgendelman/status/1295764889106034688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   9. https://t.co/FdKWSe6mhb
  10. https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1295745371273076736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
  11. https://news.yahoo.com/iran-threatens-dangerous-future-uae-082009779.html

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